Introduction
We often think of our health in terms of diet and exercise. We track our steps. We buy organic produce. We filter our drinking water. But there is a massive blind spot in our wellness routine, one that we spend nearly ninety percent of our lives inside. That blind spot is our home.
In the Pacific Northwest, we have a unique relationship with the indoors. For months at a time, the rain keeps us inside. We seal our windows tight to keep the heat in. We trust that the walls around us are protecting us. But for many families in Camas and Vancouver, that trust is misplaced.
The standard modern home is built with a focus on speed and cost, not human biology. It is often filled with materials that off-gas invisible chemicals. It traps moisture in the walls, creating a breeding ground for mold that you cannot see but your body certainly feels. It recirculates stale air filled with dust and allergens.
If you have ever woken up with a stuffy nose that vanishes when you leave the house, or if your child’s asthma seems to flare up for no reason, your home might be the culprit.
This is a hard reality to face. But it is also an opportunity. You have the chance to build something different. You can build a home that is not just a shelter, but an active participant in your family’s health. This is the promise of a Marnella Home.
At Marnella Homes, we believe that a luxury home is not defined by the price of the chandelier. It is defined by the quality of the air you breathe while you are sleeping. For over 25 years, we have been the trusted guide for families who refuse to compromise on their well-being. We do not just build to code. We build to a higher standard of health that changes lives.
The Hidden Dangers in “Code-Built” Homes
To understand the solution, we first have to look at the problem. Most homes today are built to “code.” As we have discussed before, building code is a safety minimum. It ensures the house is safe to occupy or won’t fall over. It does not require the builder to think about your respiratory system.
The first villain in this story is the “Tight House Trap.” In an effort to save energy, building codes have required homes to be tighter and tighter over the years.This is good for keeping heat in. The building code answer to this is mechanical fresh air exchange. But without an intelligent strategy for fresh air, a tight house becomes a trap. It holds onto every pollutant, every pet dander particle, and every chemical fume released from your furniture or cooking. You end up breathing unhealthy air over and over again.Â
The second villain is moisture. In the rainy Pacific Northwest, moisture is relentless. In a standard home, water vapor can get trapped inside the wall cavities. It feeds mold growth on the lumber and drywall. You might never see it. But the mold spores travel through your outlets and vents, silently attacking your immune system day after day.
The third villain is the materials themselves. Standard paints, carpets, and cabinets are often full of Volatile Organic Compounds or VOCs. These chemicals include formaldehyde and other toxins that “off-gas” into your home for years after construction is finished.
This is the scary reality of standard construction. But you do not have to accept it.
The Guide to a Healthier Life
Tony Marnella founded Marnella Homes with a different vision. He realized early on that you cannot separate the health of the planet from the health of the person living in the home. He saw that the same building science that saves energy also saves lives.
Since 2005, Tony has led the charge for high-performance building in Washington and Oregon. He did not wait for the government to mandate healthy homes. He set the standard himself.
When you work with Marnella Homes, you are hiring a team that understands the biology of a building. We know how to stop moisture. We know how to filter air. We know which materials are safe and which ones belong in the trash. We act as your shield against the shortcuts that other builders take.
The Marnella Health Protocol
How do we actually build a home that heals? We use a rigorous system that goes far beyond what the building inspector requires. We call this the Marnella Health Protocol. It is based on the strict criteria of the EPA Indoor airPLUS certification.
1. We Give Your Home Lungs
A healthy home needs to breathe. But we do not want it to breathe through cracks in the walls where bugs and mold live. We want it to breathe intentionally.
We build our homes airtight to stop energy leaks. Then, we install a piece of technology called an Energy Recovery Ventilator or ERV. Think of the ERV as the lungs of your house. It runs 24 hours a day, silently pulling fresh, filtered outdoor air into your bedrooms and living areas. At the same time, it pulls stale, moist air out of bathrooms and kitchens and sends it outside.
Here is the magic part. As the two air streams pass each other in the machine, the warm stale air hands off its heat to the cold fresh air. You get a constant supply of fresh oxygen without ever feeling a cold draft or raising your heating bill.
2. We Ban the Toxins
You should not have to worry about what is in your walls. We act as the gatekeepers for your home. We have a strict list of materials that we will not use.
We select paints, primers, and adhesives that are Low-VOC or No-VOC. We choose cabinetry and flooring that meet strict emission standards. We eliminate the chemical soup that causes headaches and fatigue in new homes. When you walk into a new Marnella Home, you do not smell chemicals. You smell clean air.
3. We Build a Fortress Against Mold
In our climate, mold is the enemy. We fight it with physics.
We use advanced “rainscreen” siding systems. This creates a small gap between your siding and the waterproof skin of the house. If, and when, water gets behind the siding during a storm, it drains away instantly. Air circulates in the gap to dry everything out.
Inside, we manage humidity with precision. Our ERV systems remove excess moisture from cooking and showers before it can settle on your windows and grow mold. We keep the humidity levels in the “Goldilocks Zone” too dry for mold, but comfortable for humans.
4. The Ultimate Filter
Standard furnace filters are designed to protect the furnace, not your lungs. They catch big dust bunnies, but they let the dangerous microscopic stuff pass right through.
We install advanced filtration systems with high MERV ratings. These filters are dense enough to capture smoke from wildfires, pollen from the spring bloom, and fine dust particles. Not to mention, the ERV has it’s own filters acting as the first line of defence against outdoor pollutants before they get to the air handler inside. If you suffer from seasonal allergies, a Marnella Home is a sanctuary where you can finally stop sneezing.
The Heart of the Mission: St. Jude
Our commitment to health goes beyond our client projects. It is the core of our charitable work as well.
Marnella Homes is honored to be the builder for the St. Jude Dream Home in our region. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital leads the world in understanding, treating, and defeating childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases.
When we build a St. Jude Dream Home, like “The Sana” or “The Sedona,” we are building for the most vulnerable among us. We apply the same rigorous health standards to these charity homes as we do to our custom projects. We believe that if a home is safe enough for a child fighting cancer, it is safe enough for your family.
The Investment in Yourself
Building a healthy home costs a little more upfront than building a code-minimum box. We are honest about that. High-performance fans, non-toxic materials, and advanced air sealing take more time and money.
But what is the return on investment or as we say, the return on wellness?
The return is a child who sleeps through the night without coughing. The return is vanishing headaches. The return is the peace of mind knowing that your home is not secretly harboring mold behind the drywall.
There is also a financial return. A healthy home is a durable home. The same strategies we use to stop mold also stop rot. Your home will last longer and require less maintenance than a standard build. And as more buyers become aware of indoor air quality, the resale value of a certified healthy home will only continue to climb.
Your New Standard of Living
You have a choice to make. You can cross your fingers and hope that a standard builder gets it right. Or you can choose a partner who has spent 25 years perfecting the art of the healthy home.
We invite you to come see the difference for yourself. Let us show you the ERV systems. Let us explain the wall assemblies. Let us introduce you to a way of living where you feel better the moment you walk through the door.
Schedule Your Healthy Home Consultation with Marnella Homes
Your family deserves a sanctuary. Let us help you build it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What specifically makes a Marnella Home better for asthma sufferers in Camas WA?
We specifically target the triggers of asthma. Our use of hard-surface flooring reduces dust mites. Our Low-VOC materials eliminate chemical irritants. Most importantly, our continuous fresh air ventilation (HRV) and high-grade filtration (MERV 13+) actively remove common allergens like pollen and smoke from the indoor air. This creates a much safer baseline environment for anyone with respiratory issues.
I want to build a custom home in Vancouver WA but I am worried about mold. How do you guarantee mold prevention?
We cannot change the weather, but we can change how the house handles it. We use a three-pronged defense against mold. First, we use rainscreen technology on the exterior to drain water instantly. Second, we air-seal the building envelope to prevent moisture-laden air from leaking into walls. Third, we install mechanical ventilation that automatically manages indoor humidity levels. This keeps the home too dry for mold to establish a foothold.
Does the Indoor airPLUS certification add significant cost to a new custom home?
The cost is a small percentage of the total build, but the value is immense. The “premium” covers better fans, better filters, and safer materials. When you compare this to the potential medical costs of living in a “sick” home, or the remediation costs of fixing mold rot ten years down the road, the investment pays for itself many times over.
Can you apply these healthy building standards to an ADU or mother-in-law suite?
Yes. In fact, we highly recommend it. ADUs are often smaller spaces where air quality can degrade quickly if not ventilated properly. We apply the exact same “Marnella Health Protocol” to our ADUs. This is especially important if the ADU is for an aging parent who might have a compromised immune system or respiratory sensitivity.
Do you offer consulting for healthy home renovations in the Portland area?
Our primary focus is new construction because it is easier to control the ecosystem from the ground up. However, through Marnella Homes Consulting Services, we can advise homeowners and other builders on how to incorporate high-performance and healthy principles into major renovation projects or new developments.
What is the difference between a standard furnace filter and the ones you use?
A standard filter is essentially a net for rocks. It stops big debris from clogging the fan. The filters we use are more like masks. They are dense enough to trap microscopic particles. This includes wildfire smoke, which is becoming a frequent issue in our region. In a Marnella Home, the air inside can be crystal clear even when the air quality outside is hazardous.
About the Author
The Marnella Homes Editorial Team
We are a dedicated group of building science geeks, designers, and wellness advocates. Our mission is to pull back the curtain on the construction industry and show you what is really possible. We believe that everyone deserves to live in a home that supports their health. Through this blog, we share the insights we have gained over decades of building in the Pacific Northwest. We want to empower you to ask the right questions and demand a better home for your family.
